I finally took the time to adjust the truss rod on my ancient 6-string acoustic guitar. The poor thing is as old as I am and it's coming apart. I managed to stretch it into playable shape and it got me in the mood to play some old school R.E.M. and Son Volt. Driver 8, So. Central Rain, Windfall, Tear Stained Eye, etc. I've been trying so hard lately to force myself to be creative and actually make stuff, but I completely forgot how nice it is to crank up the stereo and just play someone else's songs.
When I was in high school, every night I'd come home, pick out a CD, crank up the stereo, grab a guitar and play the album from beginning to end. I had a few favorites, Radiohead-Pablo Honey, Nirvana-In Utero, R.E.M.-Document, Monster and Out of Time. By the time I graduated, I only had about 15 CDs in my vast collection. I didn't have the cash to buy everything I wanted and the nearest record store was a 30 mile drive from home. Those 15 CDs and some mix-tapes from friends were GOLD to me.
In college, I worked at the campus radio station and had access to a huge music library. I ended up buying a ton of cassette tapes and dubbing music in one of the empty studios while I was doing my on-air shifts. This, I thought, was the pinnacle of music acquisition. Pick a CD, buy a cassette, find an empty studio, push play and record and come back an hour later. It's just THAT easy!
Fast forward about four years. The moment I had access to a good internet connection and a CD burner, I went certifiably insane. I still haven't listened to all the albums I've amassed over the years. It would literally take several solid days of non-stop listening to hear it all. At one point I was just hording albums for no reason whatsoever. I have a friggin' Samantha Fox album somewhere in there for pete's sake. I've settled down considerably lately, but if you know me, you've probably seen 'the collection' and can attest to my MP3-OCD.
But wait, today I don't even need to download music. I can go to Last.fm, type in a song, band or a tag and the music is INSTANTLY THERE! This progression amazes me when I think about it. Ten years ago I had to drive 30 miles and shell out 15 bucks just to hear something new. Now all I have to do is click. Right now i'm listening to the 'alt-country' tag radio on Last.fm. IT'S A FRIGGIN RADIO STATION CREATED INSTANTLY BY WHATEVER I WANT TO LISTEN TO AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT.
I guess my point with the all caps (I apologize) is that the things we can do today are amazing when you put them in a historical context. The larger point I'm trying to make with this whole post is that there are weird side-effects to this amazing level of access.
First and foremost, I think there is a certain devaluation of something if you have unlimited access to it. If I had a million dollars, my attitude towards money would be completely different. Since I have access to a million songs, I can't help but think that my attitude toward music has changed. I know there are more than a few holes in that analogy, but I think you get the point. Or maybe I'm really just over-thinking this whole thing in an effort to come up with something to blog about.